WATCH: Okanagan country singer serenades Predator Ridge residents

Melissa Livingstone received an email asking her to come to Predator Ridge.

The mission: to sing to the neighbourhood and uplift everyone’s spirits.

“I got an email about a week ago, and I’ve never actually met these people but I think they got my information from a Predator Ridge hosting page because I sang there before,” said the Kelowna-based musician.

“They asked if I could come up and serenade the neighbourhood just to bring some joy to the community. Obviously, I wanted to do that because as an artist, it’s been hard to find ways to give back to the community and sing for people.”

Livingstone said some musicians have been doing live streams, but she wanted to connect with people and sing to them in person.

She drove up to Predator Ridge on April 7. She said when she got there, the streets were empty as everyone was inside but once she started singing, people started coming out to their balconies and yards to listen to her.

“It was so great because people were smiling, they were chatting with their neighbours from across the lawn, and they were just coming out to be with each other.”

“It was just great to see music helping people enjoy their day,” she added.

Livingstone said the feedback was very positive, with people clapping and thanking her.

“A dad even asked me to sing happy birthday to his little girl. I ended up singing with other people and we all sang happy birthday to her, and it was just really cool.”

She said she hasn’t received requests for her to serenade other neighbourhoods, but she said she does want to sing to her own community.

“I want to sing out on my lawn or other places in Kelowna, just because I think it’s a nice thing for people to be able to see that there’s still stuff that can be positive and bring happiness.”

If you know others who are giving back and helping those in need during this critical time, send us an email and let us know!